Innocent
by Two Guns and a Knife
Summary: A little five-chapter story about death, darkness, Karma, and love.
1. Innocent

**Innocent**

He's going to walk away a free man. She's not going to let that happen. He killed Ranger. And she wants revenge.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A life, for another life. She think she's gonna puke. She's seen the look in those female jurors' eyes. They are going to let him walk. Away. From a cold-blooded murder. Her tears have run dry. Now, she's thirsty for blood. She wants to look him in the eyes when the light of life dims and his blood runs dry. Murder. Manslaughter. Whatever. You don't get away with murder. Simple fact. Common lie. Joke. Justice. Prejudice. Just because he's a cop. Just because he grew up here. Just because he's movie star handsome. Just because he is considered white. She lets out a laugh. Her own voice sounds strange in her ears. Nothing is same. Everything has changed. The man she loves is gone. She's carrying his child. Their baby will never get to know his father. She will never get to wake up in the middle of the night and smile as she sees him holding their child in his muscular arms. She blinks back her pain and keeps her face blank. She grasps hold of Ranger's gun. It's time to take things in her own hands. She aims at Joe Morelli's heart. She pulls the trigger. She knows how to use a gun. Ranger taught her well. The smell of death fills the air as the crowd explodes.

"My sun and stars, and moon of my life*." Stephanie Manoso whispers.

A drop of tear falls from her face.

***Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo, _Game Of Thrones_. **


	2. Wicked

**Wicked**

She wakes up in the dim-lit room with her heart pounding in her chest. She fell asleep on her old, battered couch. The TV is on. She ignores the half-empty bag of Skittles and reaches for the can of no longer cold iced tea. The news made her sad and mad, she remembers. She has absolutely no clue what is so wrong with the world. She wants to make changes. She wants to make differences. She wants to make a better world. She deserves a better world—her stomach growls. She remembers her crazy dream.

She looks down at her ring finger. Nope, she doesn't have that beautiful ring. She's not Stephanie Manoso. She's still single. She's carrying a child, though. Oh yes, she knows exactly what happened that quiet breezy early morning. Thanks to the pair of most intense, beautiful dark brown eyes and birth control pills that failed to work...She turns her attention to the TV screen, and takes another sip of the sweet liquid. She needs to finish packing and go find herself something to eat. She totally needs to stop watching _**Games of Thrones**_. Everybody died. No one was happy. The bad guys are too smart. The good guys are too stupid. The more she watches it, the sadder she feels. Not good for the baby.

She turns off the TV and looks longingly at the Skittles, but decides not to touch it. Alas, she also needs to start eating healthy. She places a hand on her belly. She's the master of her own body. She loves deeply. She loves hard. She loves with all she's got. She now understands one true love. The little life inside her womb is the fruit of passion, her crazy hormones, and love. It didn't take long for her to decide the path of her life. Ranger took the news well. But she did go berserk the night she woke up beside his naked perfect body and saw the ugly bruise on his calm, almost blank face. The stupid showdown between two stupid alpha males. The reason why she slammed her shoulder bag into Joe Morelli's face, smashing his already broken nose, and kicked him in the knee. She now thinks like a lioness. She protects what is hers. She defends her family. She makes her choices. She makes her decisions. Ranger will say yes if she tells him she wants to put a ring on him. It's her life. There's no need for explanations. She fishes out her cell phone and calls Batman. She smiles as she hears his voice.

Yep, she knows it's just a dream.

But still.


	3. Broken

**Broken**

Broken nose. Injured pride. A strong desire to fight back and win the ultimate prize. No matter what.

An unregistered gun. An accidental bullet. A rainy night. A forsaken street. A dark alley. The fragrance of gunpowder. Or a stab in the back. All is fair in love and war. He grew up here. He had friends. He had means. He knew tricks...

Till he saw the look in Stephanie's eyes.

She was mad. So mad. Her fierceness frightened him. And made him sad.

Lost. He had lost. He watched Stephanie walk away. The ultimate winner of this game. She was going to be a mother. But the child wasn't his. She would be happy. Very happy. Without him...

Joe Morelli stares down at his gun, and then at his hands. If only. What if.

He laughs.

At himself.

His heart breaks a little.

His nose will never look the same.


	4. Healed

**Healed**

His infant son cries. He rolls out of bed and turns on the light. He changes the diaper, wipes the child clean, mixes the formula, tests the temperature, burps the baby, and then closes his eyes as the little boy falls asleep. He tries not to think of Stephanie. It's hard not to blame anyone. They should have been able to stop her bleeding. The universe darkened around him when the doctor looked into his eyes and said, "I'm sorry." His mother and sisters came from Newark to make arrangements and help with the baby. He lost weight. He lost sleep. He let no one see his tears.

He's glad their child doesn't have her eyes.

He's going to miss her for the rest of his life.

He stands in front of the window, looking out into the darkness, but sees nothing. The child's warmth is his anchor. It's been 6 months. Her birthday is approaching. He's getting used to this burning loneliness. He's tired of this scorching sadness. The heaviness within his chest makes it hard to breathe. He hates this silence. He tries to move. He tries to resist. He wants to hold on to something. He doesn't want to let go of the memories. He thinks he smells her perfume. He thinks he hears her sighing. He opens his eyes. He blinks.

Stephanie is sleeping on top of him. His heart bursts with relief as she buries her face in his neck and mumbles something in her sleep. He wraps his arms around her. He wills his soul to calm down but it won't listen. She'll give birth to their son when winter ends. A part of him has changed forever. He knows he won't be able to go back to sleep. He will accompany her to her doctor's appointment tomorrow. He closes his eyes and breathes in Stephanie's sweet fruity scent as he recalls the first time he felt the baby kicking. With love comes fears and all kind of worries.

He's grateful it's just a dream.


	5. Universe

**Universe**

It's near the end of the year and she loves her ring. Their son has just learned to walk and yes, she finally popped the question. They made it official last week. Her mother couldn't stop smiling. Everyone is happy. She vaguely knows why she waited so long. She wanted to prove something. She had doubts about the concept of marriage. She wasn't sure if she really needed a ring, a ceremony, or a piece of paper to prove anything. It's love that counts. And the will and strength to keep the promise. She didn't want to tie Ranger down. She herself needed to be free. But the day when the child took his first step, she suddenly thought, "Why not?" So she leaned against the door later that night while Ranger was changing the diaper and said, "Marry me." And he turned to look at her with smile in his eyes as the smell of poo danced in the room and their son started giggling.

Perfect timing.

Her heart quickened a little and she held her breath when she put the ring on Ranger's finger. Husband and wife. Partners for life. Friends. Their life together was not like a paperback romance. It was an ordinary weekday. The judge looked a bit like Morgan Freeman. She thought of all the ups and downs and unexpected bumps and couldn't hide her smile when she heard, "You may kiss your bride."

And next year, when the pain of losing Rex ebbs, they will go to the shelter and adopt a cat. Or maybe two.

**~The End~**


End file.
